Chime-striking hammer.



W. J. HERSCHEDE 6: C. COHAN..

CHIME STRIKING HAMMER. APPLICATION-FILED'NOV- n. 1916.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

1X meoo o WALTER J. HERSCHEDE AND'CHARLES ocean, or ornomnnri, orno, Assxenons TO THE HERSOI-IEDE HALL cLooK COMPANY, or omcmn'arr, o'sro, A ooaronATIoN OF OHIO.

GHIME-STRIKING HAMMER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

7 Application filed November 11, 1916. Serial No. 130,697.

To all whom it may concern: J w

Be it known that we, WALTER J. HER- sorrnnn and CHARLES COHAN, citizens of-the United States of America, and residents of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Chime-Striking Hammers, of which the'following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in chime striking hammers for chime clocks and particularly tothe hammer head mounting means.

In ordinary chime striking hammers, the means for mounting the hammer headconsists of a flat strip of spring metal which is secured at one end to the hammer head and at its opposite end to a rigid support, the spring being held in a vertical position. This spring is provided at a point slightly below the hammer head, with a means forretracting the spring for the purpose of giving the hammer the desired impulse for the blow, the means usually consisting of a cord attached directly to the spring at this point and extending to the hammer operating mechanism. The objection encountered in using this ordinary chime striking hammer has been that when the hammer head is located slightly too close to the chime tube which it is to strike, the tendency is for the hammer head to rebound after having struck the tube its initial blow, and to give the tube a second and possibly a third blow. This multiple striking of the chime tube results in confusing and discordant sounds during the ringing of the chime. In order to overcome this objection it is found necessary to readjust the cord connecting the hammer with its operating mechanism, in order to increase the distance of the hammer from its chime tube and to thereby prevent the rebound movement of the hammer head from striking the tube a second blow. The reason for this rebounding of the hammer head is that when the hammer has been released after having been retracted previous to striking its blow, the movement of the hammer toward the chime tube is suddenly restricted because of the cord having been drawn taut and thus causing the portion of the hammer spring between the point to which the cord is attached and the hammer head to bend, the suddenness of this movement causing this short length of spring to vibrate the hammer head vigorously, giving the head a series of sharp tube-striklng movements.

Itv 1s to overcome th s SI1OL1S'OlO]eCtlOn to ordinary chime striking hammers,'that we have devised the chime striking hammer hereln illustrated and described, in which an ObJGCt lS toproduce a chime strlklng ham? mer which willnbsorb any rebounding move-u ments of the hammer head, after having been; given its initial striking movement.

'A further object is to produce a chime striking hammer in which the intensity of blow given the chime. tube by the hammer, will not be materially varied upon slight changes of position of the hammer head with relation to the chime tube. I

A further object is to produce a chime striking hammer which will eliminate the necessity of extreme accuracy in the adjust ment of the position of the hammer head with relation to the chime tube.

These and other objects are attained in the chime striking hammer described in the following specification and illustrated in the 1 Fig. 3 is a tragme'ntal persp'ective'viewlot the hammer embodying our invention,

The hammer illustrated in the accompany ing drawings, consists of the usual hammer head 4 which is mounted at the upper end of-a vertically positioned flat spring 5, the lower end of which is secured in a suitable" support 6. Adjacent to the upper end of the spring 5 a relatively narrow strip 7 is being punched from the central portion of the spring and having its upper end severed punched from the. flat spring 5, the.s trip therefrom, with its lower end bent outward to hold the strip in spaced relation to the body of the spring, as disclosed in Figs. 1 and 3. This position of the strip with relation to the body of the spring, permits the strip to act independently of the spring. In other words, it permits of the strip acting as a spring auxiliary to the main spring 5. At

the upper end of this strip 7 an aperture is provided, the aperture permitting of the passage therethrough of the end of the cord 8 which extends to the operating mechanism 9 of the hammer, the end Of the cord being provided with a knot 10 as is usual in fastening cords to chime striking hammers.

In operating a chime striking hammer embodying our invention as above described, the hammer operating mechanism 9 is pulled back to the position disclosed in Fig. 2, during which movement the hammer spring 5 is retracted from its normal position as disclosed in Fig. 1, and the strip 7 is moved from the normal position disclosed in Fig. 1 to the angular position disclosed in Fig. 2, the strip 7 being bent slightly during such movement with relation to the spring 5. This causes the hammer head 4; to be moved to such a position that when the mechanism 9 releases the spring 5, the hammer head will be caused to rapidly approach and strike the chime tube, the striking of the tube taking place in the following described manner. As soon as the spring 5 is released, it is permitted to assume its normal position as disclosed in full lines in Fig. 1, the trip 7 also assuming its normal position. However the inertia of the hammer head after having been brought to its normal position, causes it to continue in its line of movement until the padded end thereof is brought into engagement with the chime tube, this continued movement causing the spring 5 to flex above the point at which the strip 7 connects with the spring as disclosed in dotted lines in Fig. 1. During this flexing movement the strip 7 maintains it normal position, the flexing of the spring 5 above the point of connection of the strip 7 therewith, causing the strip 7 to occupy an angular position with relation to the upper end of the spring. Such a movement of the upper end of the spring is now absorbed by the flexing of the strip and upper portion with relation to one another, so that the force of the rebound of the upper portion, after the hammer head has struck the tube,is absorbed by the strip 7 Which acts as an auxiliary spring adapted to absorb the rebounding movement of the main spring 5. Thus the upper end of the main spring has all of its tendencies toward rebounding movement,

at its opposite end, and an auxiliary spring attached at one end to the first mentioned spring and adapted to have its opposite end operatively connected with a chime operating mechanism.

2. A chime striking hammer comprising a hammer head, a mounting spring for the hammer head, and an auxiliary spring secured at one end to the mounting spring adjacent to the hammer head, and having its opposite end adapted to be operatively connected with a hammer operating mechanism.

3. Achime triking hammer comprising a fiat leaf spring, a hammer head attached to one end thereof, and an auxiliary flat leaf spring attached at one end to the first mentioned spring and having its free end extending toward the hammer head, said free end being adapted to be operatively connected to a hammer operating mechanism.

1. A clock hammer comprising a hammer head, and a fiat spring upon one end of which the hammer is mounted, the fiat spring having a narrow strip struck from it adjacent to the hammer, the end of the narrow strip remote from the hammer head being integral with the flat spring and the opposite end thereof being adapted to be connecte to the operating mechanism.

In testimony whereof, we have'hereunto subscribed our names this 3rd day of November, 1916..

WALTER J. HERSCHEDE. CHARLES COHAN. Witnesses:

JOHN A. HERSCHEDE, IV. THORNTON BOGERT.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. G. 

